Aspiration Corroboration
by cursivenight
Summary: Just a little something about Penny auditioning for a character named 'Bridget' on a sitcom. No real ship as of yet. This chapter Penny practices her lines and gets the guys to agree to help her.  On hiatus because of life, but the final chapter will be u
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I really own nothing. I'm just borrowing some awesome characters.

**Aspiration Corroboration**

She was going to get this job. She had to. She hadn't had an actual acting job in months - not that she'd been to that many auditions. She chastised herself for this - how was she going to get discovered if she didn't get out there? Being too busy with work and her friends was not an excuse - she could do that back in Nebraska. Even if her friends here were pretty much the best people she'd ever met, and she needed to waitress to pay her rent if she didn't get acting jobs...

She shook her head, and with a deep breath, she ran over the lines in her head, and double-checked them against the script she held in her hand. Perfect. The blonde let herself smile, but then regained her focus. She was auditioning for an older teenage role in a sitcom. It was a bit of a stretch, considering she had only been cast in very minor or background roles before, but she figured she might as well try. Or do. She remembered Yoda's words from the last movie night she had spent with her friends across the hall. They had all spoken the words with the Jedi master, causing her to smile to herself.

"Penny?" A brunette with thick glasses (they reminded her of Leonard's) called out. The other girls (and guy?) slumped as they realized it wasn't their turn yet.

Penny nodded and stood, dimpling as she did so. The other woman smiled warmly back at her, which surprised Penny. A lot of the castings she'd been to had been very brisk and unfriendly. This was one of the few that actually seemed like they wanted to hire people. This reassured her, and she stood taller as she followed the brunette (who introduced herself as Rachel). They walked down a poorly lit hallway into a room with boring walls, ugly carpet, and a lot of windows. It was kind of dingy, but clean and nice enough.

There was a table with a few people sitting behind it, all looking at her expectantly. They all smiled, and Penny shook their hands and introduced herself.

"I'm Penny. Nice to meet you all."

"You're here to audition for Bridget?" One man asked, looking down at his list. Penny nodded, and reminded herself to breathe. She still got nervous at her auditions, despite the fact she had been in California for a while now, and having gone to at least two dozen - of which only two had gotten her paying work. Quickly shoving these negative thoughts from her head, Penny went through her scene, feeling almost separate from herself as she acted.

Her scene was with the character's father, whose lines were being read by one of the people sitting at the table. It was one of those awkward teenager-parent moments, and actually kind of funny. Penny let herself relax into the role, recalling the first time she had gotten caught with a boyfriend on the couch.

When she finished the scene, her audience looked happy, and asked her a few more questions, to which Penny responded to. They promised to call her within a week, and mentioned that even if she didn't get the main role, they may have other work for her. Extremely pleased, Penny grinned and shook hands with all of them before following the brunette woman, Rachel, out the door and back down the hallway. They turned left into an office before the area where everyone else was waiting. Penny left her contact information and again received conformation they would give her a call.

Penny left feeling buoyant and light-headed. She practically skipped down the three blocks she had to walk to where she had managed to wedge her car in between a wall and another car. She clambered in her car and sat there for a minute, reveling in the feeling of happiness.

Grabbing her phone, she sent a mass text out to her entire contact list, saying, "Audition went great! They seemed happy - they'll call within a week!"

Immediately, she received a text back from Bernadette, Sheldon, and Leonard. Bernadette and Leonard's texts were full of compliments and promises of a celebration, while Sheldon's text was a little... less congratulatory.

It read: "Please do not bother me with your unconfirmed job opportunities."

Figures. Sheldon never considered her job at the Cheesecake Factory or her dreams of becoming a star as anything more than frivolous. Still, it made her smile. She ignored a (probable) creepy message from Howard - how had he got his number back into her phone? She thought she had blocked his number ages ago. She quickly searched through her phone, and found he had somehow re-added himself to her contact list. Probably stole it sometime when she had been over for Halo or Thai. Penny considered deleting him again, but figured he'd just add it again anyhow, so left his number in her phone, but labelled it as 'DO NOT CONTACT' and made a mental note to bring up privacy laws. And restraining orders.

Slowly, and carefully, Penny maneuvered her car out of her parking spot and plugged in her iPod and turned on her favorite song. She sang the entire way back to her apartment.

* * *

"Hi Penny, it's Rachel Burdent calling. You auditioned for us a few days ago. We're pleased to tell you that you've got the job for Bridget! Now, as we told you, it is just a potential pilot, but we're hoping to get started shooting in a few weeks. I'll contact you as soon as the schedule is firmed up."

Penny was grinning from ear to ear as she replayed the message for Leonard. She was bouncing up and down, hanging off Leonard's shoulder as she listened to the message again. She'd saved it from earlier that morning, after returning Rachel's call. She was still in shock - she actually had an acting job! It wasn't even for some little commercial either... it was unbelievable luck!

"I mean, it's just a pilot, the show isn't even picked up yet, but who knows? It's a job! I might actually make it!" Penny babbled as Leonard closed her phone and handed it back to her, grinning just as widely as Penny was.

He gave her a hug - longer than two mississippi's, but shorter than five. It was just long enough for both to wrap their arms around each other, squeeze - and then it was done. Leonard hesitated as Penny pulled back, and then he abruptly let go.

"Looks like we're gonna have a star on our floor. Don't forget us when you're all famous." Leonard said, awkwardly, adjusting his glasses.

Penny laughed and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"I'd never forget you Leonard. And I've tried to forget Howard, and even Sheldon sometimes. Not so easy..."

Leonard laughed, and leant against the couch. "Come on, Sheldon is difficult, but he isn't that bad. Unless he's sick," he added, quickly, remembering the horrible, awful times that Sheldon had been ill.

"Or you're stuck with him in the North Pole..." Leonard went on. "Okay, maybe he's like a complex physics problem - you only realize you like it after you've figured it out. And Howard, well. Yeah. He's that bad. To women, anyhow." He chuckled.

"Aw, you know I love Sheldon. He's a sweetie. Except when he's sick." She agreed, and mock-glared at Leonard, remembering the time he had abandoned her with a sick Sheldon. Bouncing over to the couch, she flopped down and deposited her phone in her purse on the coffee table. She sighed happily, and leaned back against the cushions, grinning up at Leonard.

"So should we go out for dinner? Thai? Chinese?" Leonard asked her, turning a bit so he was directly facing her. He was really happy for Penny - she hadn't been this excited, particularly for her job, in ages. He really hoped the show actually got picked up, and that everyone loved her - well of course they would. That was a given, at least in his eyes.

"Sure! Just us for dinner, or -"

Leonard suddenly looked scared, "Oh, no! I didn't mean as a date, just uh -" He rubbed his hand on his head and shrugged at her, smiling sheepishly, in response to her smirk.

"Well why not? Let's go 'just us'. I can celebrate with everyone later. Sound good?" She jumped up, grabbed her bag and hooked Leonard's arm with her own. Leonard grinned over at her, and they walked (well, nearly skipped) out of the apartment. They conveniently did not let apartment 4A (who were waiting for Leonard to return with dinner plans) know where they were going.

* * *

**AN:** So this is my first Big Bang Theory fic. I have always liked the show, but just recently really gotten into it. I haven't written fanfiction (or any real creative writing) for a while now, so do forgive me. I tried to keep the characters 'true' and to make Penny less fixated about Leonard/any other boy and keep her concentrated on her job. Yes, I used 'Bridget' intentionally. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Also, this is intended as a oneshot, but I'm not sure. I could go on, if there is any interest. Anyways, thanks for reading! =)


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I just wish it was mine.

**Aspiration Corroboration**

**Chapter 2**

Sheldon, Raj, and Howard sat in apartment 4A, not-so-patiently waiting for Leonard to return and announce their plans for dinner. It had been over half an hour since Leonard had gone over to ask Penny to come with them. Sheldon alone was not staring at the door - he was on his laptop playing a certain online game. He vaguely noticed the discontent of his friends, and indeed heard Raj's stomach grumble.

"They're probably engaging in coitus." Sheldon commented after the aforementioned stomach-rumble distracted him from his mineral-farming.

Howard looked surprised, and turned to Sheldon.

"What, why? I thought they were finished?" Howard asked, sounding a little upset.

Raj shot him a glance, and sarcastically commented that Howard didn't have a chance with Penny no matter _how_ single or how desperate she was. In response, Howard huffed, looking slightly put out.

"Regardless, they seem to often turn to each other whenever they feel extreme emotions." Sheldon continued, still mostly immersed in his game. He thought about turning up the volume on his headset, but decided against it - as annoying as Raj and Howard were at the present moment, they were only likely to annoy him - loud headphones could negatively affect his hearing ability.

"I just want food! And you guys have nothing!" Raj complained as he rifled through the contents of 4A's fridge and pantry.

"Why do you think they eat out every night? They don't have the ability to feed themselves unless it's cereal. And eating cereal all the time would disrupt Sheldon's schedule."

Sheldon looked up from his laptop screen to give Howard an annoyed glance.

"Aren't you still receiving all your meals from your mother, the university cafeteria, or from the restaurants with us?" Sheldon said, and at Howard's reluctant nod, gave his slightly-creepy smile. "Bazinga."

Raj sighed loudly, and walked over to Sheldon. He pulled his headphones back, causing Sheldon to jump and flail wildly.

"Let's just go by ourselves. There's a great Indian place I know of!" Raj said, and released the headphones.

"That was unnecessary. I could hear you perfectly. And it's not Indian day today. It never is." Sheldon grumbled, but followed Howard and Raj out of his apartment. He figured he could convince them by the time they got to the car to adhere to his schedule.

* * *

Penny had enjoyed the dinner with Leonard, despite the fact it was punctuated by an angry phone call from Raj about being abandoned, being hungry, and Sheldon refusing to go out for Indian.

Penny let out a giggle, actually that part had been a little funny. Sheldon had apparently stood behind Raj's car in protest of eating Indian (he had apparently failed in convincing them to stick to his schedule), and Raj and Howard just might have tapped him gently with the car's fender. Sheldon was fine, but that tap caused an even bigger problem - a slightly hysterical Sheldon. Leonard had ended up being forced to talk to Sheldon on the phone, and had hung up in frustration. When the phone continued to buzz, signaling a call, Leonard had finally turned it off. He and Penny had laughed about the event for a good five minutes.

But now it was a week later, and Penny was on her way to pick up her script for her new job. Rachel had called her the previous night to give her the schedule for shooting, and told her she could come pick it up anytime.

Penny pulled into the parking lot (very carefully, as she really didn't want to ding her potential boss/coworkers/some famous actor's car), and stepped out into the Californian heat. She was dressed in shorts and a tank top, and her blonde hair was swept up in a messy ponytail, but it was still stifling hot.

She walked across the parking lot and into the building. There was air conditioning and it was obviously cranked. Penny had goosebumps in seconds, and she tried hard to keep her teeth from chattering as she talked to a receptionist, the whole time thinking it probably wasn't healthy to go between such temperature extremes. It also probably wasn't necessary for the building to be the temperature of a freezer - not to mention how much energy was being wasted keeping it that way.

With a quick phone call and a few clicks of her computer, the receptionist handed Penny a schedule and her script with a smile. Penny thanked her and headed back outside, preferring the heat to the icebox.

Once in her car (with the windows rolled down), Penny read over the script quickly. It seemed interesting - not that Penny would complain anyways as after all, a job was a job. There were a few really funny lines that legitimately made Penny laugh out loud as she read. She was so excited to get started - she'd start practicing her lines right after work at the Cheesecake Factory.

* * *

Later that night, Penny walked into her apartment absolutely exhausted. She had ended up working four extra hours (on top of her eight hour shift) because of how busy the restaurant was - and one waitress never showed up, and no one else could make it in. That meant Penny had to cover half the restaurant herself - it was so bad she brought out her pad and pen - something she hadn't had to do in a while.

She collapsed into her couch, and pulled out her script. She had so been looking forward to running through her lines, but now she could barely read it - her vision was that blurry. Glancing at the clock confirmed to Penny that it was two in the morning. Groaning, Penny dropped her script and stumbled to bed.

* * *

The next morning (well it was noon by the time Penny had eaten breakfast and gotten herself ready for the day), Penny sat down and finally read through the script a few times. She had until next Tuesday to learn her lines - exactly a week.

The pilot episode was basically an introduction - a family is turned upside down after the stay-at-home-mom decides to return to work. Penny's character Bridget was the typical blonde, boy-crazy, clothes-loving teenager - something that made Penny smile because she could definitely relate.

Penny read through the script a few more times, this time reading all her lines out loud, trying out different tones and attitudes for her character. It was easy - it was just like she was talking to her own dad. Minus the desperate attempt at trying to win his approval, of course.

The blonde ran lines with herself for about an hour or two, then finally sat back on her couch, immensely pleased. This was so cool. Her first actual role in something. The first time she would have to actually work to remember a line. It was awesome.

Glancing at the clock, Penny realized she had better get ready for work, and hoped that this afternoon/evening wasn't as busy. She brushed her hair again, changed into her absolutely _lovely_ uniform, grabbed her bag and keys, and shut off the lights before leaving her apartment.

* * *

Tonight was Cheeseburger Tuesday for Sheldon, so predictably the guys were in their regular table by 6:00pm. Penny cheerfully went over to say hi and take their order. She rolled her eyes at Sheldon's exact instructions for his burger, and reassured him she would make sure the cook gave him the ratio of toppings to burger and bun that he liked. The cook never did get it to Sheldon's satisfaction, even when Sheldon himself had once gone back there to instruct him (and to tell the cook of his apparent many deficiencies; including but not limited to his inability to follow simple instructions).

After ringing their orders and checking on her other table, Penny went back over to the guy's table to chat. They were debating about the possible storyline for the announced (but untitled) Star Trek 2 movie.

"Didn't you guys say they had changed everything with the whole time traveling Nero guy?" Penny interjected, causing the guys to all stop and look at her.

"Exactly." Sheldon replied, looking surprised, but kind of pleasantly so. "We are debating what path they are going to take it - somewhere completely new, or with a similar storyline with obvious alterations?"

"And if they do stick to a general storyline, which one?" Leonard added, leaning forward and taking a sip from his drink.

"I hope we get to see Spock bang Uhura!" Howard exclaimed. "It wouldn't be Spock's conception, but... it'd be even better! Uhura is hot!"

"As long as Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are starring, I don't care." Penny said, rolling her eyes at Howard, just as Sheldon gave her a look that showed his disproval and annoyance. She left the conversation as they started talking about original Star Trek story-lines once again, and headed back to the kitchen to see if any of her orders had come up.

She took the food to her other table, and once assured they didn't need anything else, went back to to the kitchen to get the guy's meals. As she was carrying the second round of plates, she had an idea.

"Hey, you guys wanna help me run my lines?" Penny asked, setting down Sheldon's burger. He inspected it carefully, tsk-ing once as he carefully redistributed his burger to his liking, and counted out his number of fries.

"What kind of lines?" Howard asked, leering at her over his plate.

"You are so not reading for the love interest." Penny pointed and glared at Howard, then went on, "I thought it'd be fun, and you guys would totally be helping me out. Please?"

"I suppose if you want us to help you with this dismal thing you call a career we can allow it." Sheldon agreed, having finished his arrangement of his food, depositing his excess fries on an extra plate Penny had brought.

"Of course we'll run lines with you Penny." Leonard said, smiling, then listened as Raj whispered into his ear. "What about Raj though?"

"I've got alcohol, if he wants to come." Penny smiled. "Thanks guys! I get off at seven, so how about eight at my place?"

With the guys all nodding, Penny left them with a bounce in her step.

* * *

**AN:** I have absolutely no idea how anything about acting/sitcoms works. Or very, very, very little idea, anyhow, so if I've got it wrong, I apologize. Yes, there is the whole 8 Simple Rules reference again. I was just a casual viewer of the show, so I had to look stuff up, so I hope it's right - or at least tolerable. Thanks for reading! There will be another chapter - at least one. I kinda want to use this to show a progression into another Penny/Leonard relationship (since there isn't tons on this site, and I love the pair of them!) but let me know how you feel about that. It can just as easily stay friendship.


End file.
